FG addressing unemployment through diversification – Ngige

September 0111:392016

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige has said that the federal government is fully aware of the high rate of unemployment and underemployment and the need to combat it through diversification of the economy.

The minister said this at the National Dialogue on Future of Work Initiative organized by the. Ministry of Labour and Employment in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Abuja Thursday.

The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Clement Illoh, said the National Dialogue on Future of Work Initiatives was imperative for Nigeria as a country in order to develop strategies for addressing the various challenges and changes which have emerged in the world of work over the years.

He said a lot of challenges like climate change, casualisation, contract work, information and communication technology, working from home and outsourcing have emerged in the world of work.

He said the importance of National Dialogue on Future of Work Initiative cannot be overemphasised, adding that the initiatives open the window of opportunities for the advancement of ILO’s mandate for social justice through engagement of all stakeholders to debate and contribute to the reflection on the future of work.

According to him, the initiative would also establish a high-level Commission on the Future of Work that would organise activities at the 108th Session of the ILO Conference in Geneva, Switzerland in 2019 during its centenary where its report would be discussed.

In his remarks, the ILO Country Office Director, Dr. Dennis Zulu, said the objectives of the initiative is to generate a better understanding of the forces transforming the world of work and the implications for governments, workers and employers.

He said the initiative also seeks to provide a constructive forum for the exchange of ideas and information between the tripartite constituents as well as other key stakeholders in the formulation of policies and new approaches and articulate and promote policy alternatives, innovative partnerships and good practices that can be replicated by governments, employers and workers and other key partners.